Just Visiting
by M10110
Summary: Takes place after the episode "Fool Me Once." Damon sets out to Chicago in search of the one thing he wants most. Guess who?...You think you know Damons intentions? Think again....
1. Damon

**AN: I wrote this shortly after the episode "Fool Me Once." I've never gotten the chance to finish it, but I hope I do soon. This is the first chapter. **

**I felt really sorry for Damon, and this story popped into my head, and I took matters again into my own hands decided to write what I wanted to happen next.**

**Hope you like it. :) **

**Vampire Diaries(c) CW and L. I do not own any of these characters.

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Clouds rolled over the charcoal sky, a fair warning to all those who walked the town and its streets. The moon was bright and full appearing as a bright plug-in nightlight. Walking the lone streets was a young brunette haired girl. Dressed in a white tank top that clung to her to her chest and body like static and long flared dark jeans paired with leather boots, she bounced down the cold streets as if it were day and the sun was shining every place she stepped.

It is obvious to those that walk past her that she thinks highly of herself. Also that she has a stunning beauty. She flipped her hair at a lonely by passer, and he can't help but gaze in awe, but she passed him with a smirk of triumph.

She turned at a corner onto a second street walking up to the door of an apartment. The girl made her way up a few flights of stairs, before walking to her own apartment door. But as she reached for the knob, she stopped. Her eyes hardened as she eyed the tiniest crack in the door. She pushed the door open with her index finger to find the lights off just as she'd left them. Her purse that'd been on her shoulder slides down her arm, so she can grip it in her hand.

The girl took a single step into the room jaw clenched bracing herself for the unexpected. The floorboard creaked under her weight. She sensed she was not alone, but before she could flip on the lights, her lamp on her nightstand by the couch flickers on to the light the room in a dim orange tint.

Sitting on her couch is a man. His legs were propped on her coffee table, his arms draped across the back of the couch. His dark hair stood out from his light blue eyes. He was dressed from head to toe in black: black shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a sleek, black leather jacket to finish it off. A mysterious appearance overall, slyness was added with the smirk plastered across his face.

"You home early," he spoke to her as if he knew her for years, but the girl couldn't remember or a put a finger on it. Something about his eyes seemed familiar, but any memory of them was piled back in her mind somewhere.

Then it hit her.

She couldn't help, but smile. It wasn't one of those warm smiles either. It was mocking, and the ordeal she now found herself in almost made her laugh.

"Damon," she sighed.

"I've been looking for you for a very long time." The smirk didn't falter.

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**AN: Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! **

**~M**


	2. Didn't Care

**AN: Finished Chapter 2. ^^ Hope you like it.**

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*~* A WEEK EARLIER *~*

Damon stared into the fire, the burning flames licking at the air hungrily. The smoke rose up the chimney and disappeared from view.

Damon wished he could disappear.

Wasted.

The last 145 years. Wasted.

Anna's words replayed in his head. "She didn't care."

She. Didn't. Care.

She hadn't cared about him. She _doesn't_ care about him. Katherine had left Mystic Falls without a care in the world. She didn't care about Pearl, about Stefan, and she most certainly didn't care about him.

All Damon could do was stare into the fire that every second that passed, he thought about throwing himself into.

Would Stefan allow that?

His younger brother sat by him now in the next chair over the fire illuminating both their faces with moving light.

Damon imagined his brother throwing him into the fire himself. He'd be happy to be rid of him. Heck Damon would to if he was his brother.

So many terrible things for one goal that failed.

Damons mind went to drinking. Alcohol. Anything with alcohol could drown his sorrow and memories. But everything would return back eventually and reality would set in.

He still would have wasted time. Time he couldn't get back. Time he could have used…to do…something else.

The fact of the matter was that she didn't and never cared. His brother had been right along, but Damon had refused to believe it.

Now he regretted it.

"Isn't it time yet?" Damon asked smirking bringing his arms behind his head to lean back on the couch.

"Time for what?" Stefan asked his bland tone that he always used when he was serious. Damon caught a flicker of sorrow in his eyes. Damon knew he didn't deserve it.

"Time for the 'I told you so' speech," Damon was still smirking. He stood up and walked around the couch over to a liquor cabinet set on the ground by the wall.

"No," Stefan replied turning his head slightly to watch Damon.

"Course it isn't" Damon mumbled as he opened the cabinet and a pulled out a filled-to-the-top bottle. Liquor didn't dissolve the pain, but it did the trick of numbing it. He put the bottle to his lips. "Then what time is it?" he asked.

"It's 2 A.M. in the morning and it's times for you to let it go." Stefan still used the same tone.

Let it go. That was easy for him to say.

"Why?" Damon's voice was strained before he put the drink to his mouth again taking a huge drink bringing the bottle down a large percentage. He walked back to the couch and offered Stefan the drink. To his surprise he took a swig, but then he took it, held it over the carpet, and flipped it, the remains spilling onto the carpet which although Damon had drank over half, was still a large amount.

"That's gonna be hard to get out," Damon commented. "And I could always get another one." He sat back on the couch with a thud.

"I know." Stefan sat the bottle on the nightstand beside him.

It was silent for a minute.

"You need to let it go, Damon," Stefan said.

"Mhm hmm," Damon said, but staring into the fire he was lost in his thoughts again.

What else had Anna said?

Then it occurred to him.

Damon stood up abruptly scooting the couch back a few inches. He started walking out of the room.

Stefan followed. "Damon where are you going?" Still serious.

"I'm goin' on a road trip," Damon said grabbing his car keys off a table near the door. "Care to join me?"

Stefan shook his head. "No and don't even think about grabbing Elena either, now where are you heading?"

Damons smirk never seemed so sly. "Chicago."

Stefan for once looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Because that's where she _is_," Damon said sternly jaw clenched. He knew he would find her. That was the only part of his goal he was keeping.

"Damon you _have_ to let her _go_." Stefan was becoming a broken record, He had certain urgency in his voice.

"Why? Because you did?" Damon spat. "I'm. Not. You. I've made that perfectly clear the past few weeks."

"Because I know you intentions." By the look on Stefans face Damon could tell he was bluffing.

"You never know my intentions." The smirk reappeared.

"Your right and that's what worries me."

It was silent again for a moment.

"See ya, Stef," Damon opened the door. "Tell Elena I said 'bye'." And he left.

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AN: Thanks for reading!!


	3. 20 Bucks

**AN: What is this? Is this me actually posting a chapter? Yes actually it is! And I can't believe I let this go on so long without posting anything. I deeply apologize for not posting anything and keeping everyone waiting. I meant to finish this story this past summer, and then things got so hectic, and suddenly school was here, and I finally have time to post this! I will try to be better and hope to finish at least one of my fan fics soon. **

**I'd like to thank everyone who left reviews on that last chapter because when I saw that people were still reading this story, it got me thinking on how much I really enjoyed writing it. So thanks so much for giving me that extra push and confidence to finish this. :)**

**Now this chapter does include a character that is not in the show, but is in the books, but I do believe she is a lil out of character so I apologize for that. I changed her story a bit considering on the show they've switched up a lot of things, so I did some changing of my own just for fun. But the character still does belong to the lovely L.J. Smith. :)**

**The Vampire Diariesbooks and characters(c) L.**

**The Vampire Diaries Show(c) The Amazing CW.**

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5 Days Later

Damon had stopped in every city before Chicago. Mainly to buy a few drinks at a bar, but also to talk to a few people. Anna said 1983 was the last time she saw Katherine and she could have moved since then. Compulsion worked well when searching for answers.

Now, he pulled up to his fifth bar in the last five days of searching for little clues Katherine could have left in a little town outside the city.

The bar favored the Mystic Grill serving lunch and dinner at tables, an open bar, and even a few pool tables were scattered here and there.

Instead of taking a seat by the bar, Damon sat in the nearest booth closest to the door hoping he could compel a few passing townspeople.

His eyes went to the menu at the end of the table by the wall. He might as well eat something. The last REAL meal he'd had was 2 days ago at a small bar in West Virginia. This place was packed with people and he didn't really feel like fishing. He opened the menu and scanned it. The waitress came by and asked to take his order.

She was cute with bouncy fluffy hair, and light eyes. But this girl reminded him too much of Caroline, and with the way she was smiling at him now made him think she just might have the same personality.

He smirked at her and said, "The Burger Bites. Extra pickles."

"Coming right up," she grinned scribbling on her pad of paper before walking off.

Just as Damon set the menu back in its original place, a girl slid into the seat in front of him. She was panting slightly, and she was spitting out words at a fast pace, "I will give you twenty bucks if you pretend to talk to me." She looked around her eyes searching the room.

Damon smirked amused. "Who ya hiding from?"

The girl smiled lightly. She had flowing black hair, and piercing brown eyes. With a skinny figure and smooth olive skin. She looked around Elena's age.

"I'm trying to dodge my parents," she admitted.

Damon raised an eyebrow.

She twirled her index finger in the air. "They're the ones who did this"

Damon looked around with his eyes. Bright decorations were hung on the ceiling, streamers and balloons, and as he'd noticed before there were a lot of people.

"Party?" He guessed.

"Yeah," replied the girl as she sat back in her seat arms crossed.

"Your party?" She was fun to tease.

"Maybe," the girl smiled.

Damon had to admit the girl was cute. Her hair was brushed behind her shoulders and it put up a nice showcase of her neck. Damon was starting to wish he'd eaten something earlier…

Luckily, the waitress came back with his order. She placed the plate of food between Damon and the girl, and he noticed she didn't look pleased with the girl sitting there with him.

"Can I get you anything Miss Sulez?"

"No Kara," the girl smiled. "Thanks though. But like I said, please just call me Meredith."

The waitress smiled. "Sorry, Meredith." Damon noticed how her eyes glinted with a sort of jealousy.

"Last name?" Damon asked once Kara was gone.

Meredith sighed. "Yeah, my parents are pretty famous around here. They sell a lot of property. But not just here. We've gone from place to place looking for "better property to sell" as my father puts it. It's all about the cash. I've lived in almost every state for a few months and I'm lucky if I stay a year or two in one place."

Damon knew how that was. He'd been all around the world watching it change. Carriages to cars. Letters to cell phones. So many things could happen in a century. Heck many things can happen in a DAY as he just discovered.

"You're a pretty open book to someone you just met," Damon commented taking a sip of his soda.

"Well," Meredith said with a smile. "Mr…"she looked at him searching for a name.

"Damon Smith," Damon smirked.

"Well, Mr. Smith," she continued. "When you've gone from place to place meeting people, making friends, and then having to leave again and again, you learn it's best not to make friends at all. Now, you," She paused looking him over and pointing at him, "You aren't from around here. I can tell. So, my guess is you'll be leaving sometime soon. So why can't I tell a stranger my story, who's just going to leave anyway, instead of me."

"True, but haven't you heard of "Never talk to strangers." He joked.

"Yes, but aren't your closest friends strangers at first?" She shot back.

Damon grinned popping a French fry into his mouth. He took a bite of one of his small burgers, before Meredith leaned back in her seat again.

"So," Damon wondered. He decided to take a shot at something. "Where have you been? Hawaii? Alaska? The Big Apple?"

"Haven't been to Hawaii yet," she giggled. "But I've been to the North, and I've stayed across the South. All across the U.S."

"Mystic Falls perhaps?" Damon asked. "That's where I'm from."

A weird look crossed her face that was a mix of sadness and remembrance and confusion. "That's funny. I just moved from there last year…That was the one time I broke my routine of not making friends. I met some really nice people." She gave a sad smile.

"Anybody I may know?" Damon ate the last of his burgers.

Suddenly, Kara reappeared. "Can I get you anything else?" She asked. She picked up the cleared plate.

"Nope," Damon said and looking disappointed, she walked away.

Meredith replied to his earlier question by naming off people, "Um, Matt Donovan, Elena Gilbert-"

"Ah, I know her," Damon grinned again. At that moment Damon wondered how Elena was doing. Probably hanging out wit his brooding brother…

"You do?" Meredith seemed excited. "How?"

"She's dating my little brother," Damon said.

Meredith looked confused again. "I thought she was dating Matt…"

"Nope. Not when she met my brother," Damon explained.

"Oh," the young girl seemed lost in thought for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "So, Mr. Smith. I told you my story. How about yours? Why are YOU here?"

"Oh," Damon chuckled. "That story's a long one and I don't think you want to hear it."

"You just seem like a man with an agenda."

_Oh, you have _NO_ idea,_ Damon thought.

"I am looking for someone actually." He said. "Looking" wasn't really the right word though…

"Oh really?" Meredith asked. "I can probably help with that."

"Could you now?"

"Sure," Meredith gave a bright smile. "I'm good with names."

"Hmm," Damon paused before speaking. "She moves a lot. Do you know a Miss Pierce?"

"Maybe," she thought. "Where'd you last see her?"

"I heard she was in Chicago."

"Oh, I was there a few weeks ago…"

Damon waited.

Maybe he was wasting more time with this girl. But something about her made him listen and stay. She knew Elena so she must be smart, but then again the witch is a best friend of hers and she tried to kill him.

"Oh! Now I got it!" Meredith exclaimed. "Couldn't forget a face like hers…" She trailed off. "Come to think of it she could be Elena's sister."

"Tell me about it," Damon smirked drumming his fingers on the table.

"Anyway," Meredith shook her head. "Yeah, she bought an apartment from my parents just before we left. She said she lived there before not to long ago."

"Think you can get the address for me?"

Meredith's eyes narrowed for a moment, thinking again. "I like you, so, I can _try_."

Meredith was able to get the address eventually, and came back to Damon with it and her promised twenty bucks.

"Keep it," Damon said taking the slip of paper. He had what he needed.

Meredith almost protested, but thought better of it. Instead she said as Damon slid out of the booth, "It was nice meeting you, Damon." She stood too a smile playing at her lips.

Damon smirked one of his famous smirks. "You too, Meredith."

"Good luck."

Damon nodded, and just before stepping out the door to the bar, had a second thought to erase her memory.

But chose against it.

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**AN: I really hope you guys liked it! Please review! (Also, I know it may have seem a little strange for Meredith to just give out her address like that, but I needed a way for Damon to find her location, so sorry if that seems strange.)**

**Thanks again! :)**

**~M**

**Meredith Sulez(c) L. :)**


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